While the weather elements are still working against us East Coast fashionistas, today I decided to deconstruct the elements of picking the perfect outfit.

The daily dilemma -- what to wear to work -- is one that we all face. Some, who are much more organized than I, may find themselves faced with this quandary only once a week. I prefer to live on the edge, assembling an ensemble each and every morning, and scrambling to slip on my stilettos as I run out the door.

So where do I begin? I first refer to the weather app on my iPhone. If rain or heavy snow is predicted, I can immediately rule out all things suede and most pieces that are predominately leather. On dry days, I immediately reach for the aforementioned items as I know their usage is limited.

Once I have assessed the weather restrictions, I seek out a piece I haven't worn in a while and build my outfit around that. For the outfit in the pictures above, I started with my French Hen sweater.

Then comes my favorite part -- the color scheme. I like to do 'matchy-matchy' without looking too 'matchy-matchy'. Clearly, I chose cobalt as my accent color and the plaid paired so perfectly that I just couldn't resist.

I kept the rest of the look neutral and chose a grunge glam quilted leather skirt to offset the preppiness of the plaid and graphic sweater. Topping the look off with a classic military coat and my cobalt satchel, I was ready to face the day.

Posting my casual Friday look on this less than casual Monday. It's funny how I always start the week really motivated to dress to impress and look super cute at work, but by the end of the week I'm so pooped that I am dreaming of dressing down in denim.

Posting a little late today due to the fact that I went to visit my mother in Brooklyn yesterday. We saw a PHENOMENAL (that one's for you, Mom) John Paul Gaultier exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, and then did some shopping in NYC. It was a perfect day.

I leave you with this bright ensemble ~ hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

After drooling over this bag for more than a year now, I finally decided to make this blue beauty mine. I was hesitant to spend so much money on such a colorful selection, but after purchasing I've discovered that cobalt is the new black.

This bag goes with EVERYTHING! I played it safe here, pairing it with all-black, but stay tuned for some more exciting colorful combinations to come.

Casual Friday is finally here and it couldn't come soon enough this week! The single-digit temperatures left me dreaming of wearing long underwear and puffer jackets. Unfortunately, the aforementioned garments do not qualify as 'smart and stylish' and therefore I found myself in my normal business attire, donning these cute {and warm} new boots and walking into work heels in hand.

I'm a little late posting this morning due to the wicked headache I had last night. I attribute the headache to the frigid cold and dry weather conditions we have been experiencing lately. I'm soooo over winter already and we aren't even a month in yet! This is going to be a VERY long 3-4 months. Okay, enough whining.

On a cheerful note, I FINALLY picked out my Christmas present from my husband and am very excited to share it with you later this week. I feel that it is a fabulous addition to my wardrobe. Be sure to follow me on Instagram for the big reveal!

1.01.2014

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm not a huge fan of New Year's Eve. I may sound like a curmudgeon, but between the inflated prices and the crowds, it's a night I definitely prefer to spend at home with my husband {on the couch in our pjs} which is exactly what I did. Since I also had to work yesterday and today, and decided to bring some sparkly NYE glam to the office. This sequined mini added just the right bit of glitz.

Although I haven't made one yet, I like this simple, straight-forward quote for resolution inspiration:

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